Love in War (Previously Lucky Number Seven)
by devuhreegee
Summary: Amongst a dark war, can love blossom between the charming James Potter and the lovely Lily Evans?
1. Chapter 1

Hello, hello. I am back once again.  
**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR ANY MADE-UPS. **

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"I am going to murder Slughorn!" Camielle Greene threw her book bag down on her bed along with herself and buried her face into her pillow and let out a high-pitched scream. She gripped her long coffee colored hair as she continued to scream.

Lily Evans, her best friend and roommate, raised an eyebrow. "Uh, ok. Care to tell me what happened so I can talk you out of murdering him? I don't wish to see you go to Azkaban at such an early age, Cami." She closed the Charms book she had open in her lap and folded her legs beneath her.

Cami looked up at Lily with dark eyes that reflected a certain anger and hatred. "He gave me a weeks detention for spilling some sneezewort when I was putting away ingredients after class, and it was completely by accident. If you or Remus had spilled it, he would have just laughed it off and let you go. But me… he raised up a storm and started yelling at me." She buried her face back into her pillow and screamed again.

"Oh," Lily replied, with a look of amusement and sympathy on her face. She never cared much for Slughorn herself, even though she was one of his favorite students. "Well maybe he was just in a bad mood or something."

"No." Cami spoke, her voice muffled into her pillow. "That old bastard hates me. I don't know why though."

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it I guess except roll with the punches and or kill him with kindness."

"I guess…" Cami lifted her head out of the pillow and looked up at the redhead on the bed next to hers. "You're right…as always. Let's go get some dinner. I'm starving."

"Sounds good to me. Just let me freshen up a bit. I've been feeling gross all day since lunch when Sirius knocked his pumpkin juice all over me." Lily jumped off her bed and walked over to her friend's dresser and picked up a brush.

"Yeah, you can use my brush. You're welcome," Cami teased as she got up and walked up next to her friend. "You have to admit though… it was pretty funny when he did that."

Lily was running the brush through her long copper colored hair, pulling it into a high ponytail. "No it wasn't. It stained my shirt, and Merlin knows how long it will take the house elves to get it out. I will get him back."

"Oh come off it Lils. It was an accident! Though he is rather annoying…" Cami pulled out a white polo shirt and jeans and changed into them.

"You're defending him!" Lily dug into her friend's drawers and pulled out a green long sleeved v-neck shirt and changed into that. "Do you have an extra pair of jeans?"

"Yeah. Bottom drawer. And no I'm not defending him," Cami replied putting her hair into two pigtails. "I am merely saying that he is human, and humans are prone to accidents."

Lily slipped on the pair of jeans she found as she looked at Cami. "Cami… just stop. You can admit you like him."

"I do not! He's irritating and so full of himself."

"Oh, you're defensive. That must mean you really, REALLY like him," Lily teased as she began to walk out the door. Cami chased after her and jumped on her back, Lily catching her legs under her arms.

"I do not like him. As a friend, yes. But nothing more." Cami defended herself again.

"Fine, fine." Lily rolled her green eyes and smiled as she continued to carry her friend down the stairs and into the common room. "Ok, you're getting heavy…" She dropped Cami onto the floor, who landed smack on her bottom.

"Ow," Cami reached up and slapped Lily on the butt.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Hey Greene, watch it. That's my job."

Lily and Cami turned their heads over towards the couch to find James Potter lounging lazily there, with a piece of old parchment in his hands. He folded it up and put it in his jeans back pocket.

"No," Lily replied back smartly. She felt Cami stand up next to her. "It is not your job, James." She folded her arms and watched him as he came up to them, staring at Lily.

"My apologies then," James smirked as he leaned down and gave Lily a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you down at dinner ladies." With that he turned on his heel and walked out of the common room.

Lily tried not to look phased by the kiss he planted on her cheek, but she could not ignore the warm feeling that flooded her lightly freckled face. It was not like he had not done that before, as he had gotten into the habit of randomly kissing Lily on the cheek. However, it still made Lily blush and grow hot in the face. She let out a groan before speaking. "I wish he wouldn't do that…" She started walking towards the door.

Cami smirked and followed her best friend. "You know, you look very different when your face turns red like that. It almost matches your hair."

"Shut up," Lily snapped back, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "It means nothing."

"Oh," the brunette began, trying to make herself sound like her best friend. "You're defensive! What does that mean again?"

Lily shook her head and smiled slightly. "Ok, don't pull the reverse psychological crap on me. Let's just go to dinner."

"Fine."

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I realize this is kinda short, but please review! Thanks!  
-Devs


	2. Chapter 2 The Party Invitation

Chapter Two

"Lily." Cami waved her hand energetically in front of the redhead's dazed face. "Lily!" Lily finally snapped out of it and jumped in her seat, dropping her fork that she had been playing with her mashed potatoes with. Her fork landed with a clatter on her plate, spraying corn, potatoes and carrots into her face. People around started to laugh while she tried to keep her composure while cleaning her face off with her napkin.

"What?" Lily asked Cami with a hint of irritation in her voice. She loathed making a fool of herself.

"Sorry about that…" Cami apologized. "But you looked like you were in a daydream or something. You didn't even hear me talk about my Quidditch match tomorrow."

"Oh," Lily felt the same warm feeling return to her cheeks again. She _had_ been daydreaming just like Cami predicted…daydreaming about James. Why though, she had no idea why. She couldn't understand why she found him so attractive yet it was hard for her to tolerate his arrogant way of life. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was saying that you should come to the match. It's against Slytherin It should be very interesting. Also, James says I've improved a lot over the last few practices, and that I should even be able to knock Bagman off his broom."

"Really?" Lily smiled genuinely, becoming excited for her friend. "That's incredible. You can be sure I'll be there!" Lily was a moderate fan of Quidditch, not being fully obsessed like Potter and Cami were, but she could still appreciate and get excited about it.

"Jimmy will be pleased to hear that Lilykins," the smooth, deep voice of Sirius Black reached her ears. Lily rolled her eyes as she turned to look at him, and couldn't help but notice how Cami's olive skin suddenly got a warmer glow to it. James came up next to him and shoved him aside. "Shut your mouth, Padfoot. And stop calling me 'Jimmy' for God's sake. It's getting old."

"But Jimmy," Sirius started in a motherly voice. "It fits you perfectly."

"What do you two want?" Lily cut in before James could throw another jest at Sirius. "Because if all it is to bicker back and forth like an old married couple in front of me, you're wasting your time."

"No," James started, his crooked smile coming into view. "That's not it at all. We were just walking by and heard that you might be coming to the game tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes, and your point is?" Lily shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"The point is, Lilykins," Sirius interjected, throwing one of his muscular arms over James's shoulder. "We're throwing an after-party, invitation only. Astronomy Tower."

"But of course," James continued, his hazel eyes sparkling with excitement and glee. "You, Greene and Randall are invited."

"I better be invited, you arse!" Cami raised her voice, sounding betrayed. "I'm only a bloody member of the team!"

"Sorry love," Sirius winked at her. "Slip of the mind." Cami immediately shut up and went back to eating her food. Lily absolutely hated how her face was becoming so prone to blushing lately, as she felt her face grow pink again. "Thank you…"

"Will you come?" James raised his eyebrows, looking concerned that she would reject his invitation.

Lily looked at him for a moment, considering her options. "I don't know…I'll think about it. But I make no guarantees."

James shrugged his shoulders. "I'll take what I can get."

After that simple statement, the two boys left. Lily bit her lip, watching James and Sirius turn the corner. Should she go? Yeah, she would love to go so she could take a break from all her studies and socialize. Plus, she would be able to spend time with Potter. Although, that was the other thing that was keeping her from wanting to go. James was going to be there.

"You're coming," Cami commanded Lily before grabbing some corn on the cob.

"Oh really?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "And since when did you become the boss of me?"

"Since you sold your soul to me," the brunette jested before sticking her tongue out at Lily.

"I don't remember that."

"Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you," Cami shrugged and bit into her corn. "But you are going and that's final."

"Why do I have to go? I have no reason to!" Lily protested running her hands through her long hair.

"Correction. You have no reason _not _to go." Cami swallowed some pumpkin juice. "You just want to avoid Potter."

"Exactly, that is my reason for not going!" Lily replied incredulously. When would Cami realize that she did not want to put herself in a situation where she might fall for the handsome and charming James Potter.

"Well will you at least come and stay for at least thirty minutes?" Cami started to beg. "If you're not having a good time by then, I promise I'll let you leave."

Lily eyed her friend for a minute. "Fine. I'll go."


	3. Chapter 3 So bloody close!

Once again, I am NOT JKR. I wish I was, but that will never happen. Anything you don't recognize is MINE.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!

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Chapter Three

Was it required to be revoltingly ugly to be sorted into Slytherin? Honestly, as hard as he tried, he could not find a single Slytherin even _remotely_ attractive. Large noses, buck teeth, bulging eyes…it was one thing or another and the Slytherin house was infested with such features. James was walking down the hall, holding his nose which was in a lot of pain and bleeding at the moment. "Stupid, brainless, bloody Slytherins…" he mumbled under his breath.

He had gotten in a little fight with a fifth year Slytherin boy who looked like his face was a plethora of volcanoes ready to erupt at any second. The boy, Hector was his name James thought, had given James some lip about the upcoming game. The Head Boy took some points off and Hector retaliated by spitting on him, and one thing led to another ending with Hector limping away and James bleeding from his nostrils.

He had just entered the Head's common room, fully skipping going to the nurse. He did not want any of the teachers finding out that the Head Boy got into a fist fight. He kept his head at a slight incline, trying to prevent the blood from running down his face any more than it already was. "I am going to KILL that bloody Slytherin!" he bickered as he made his way up the stairs to the bathroom. He kicked open the door and walked over to the sink.

"Excuse me," came an angry voice. James looked around and found Lily laying on the floor, her legs propped up on the loo, with a bucket of some sort of food by her side, and a spoon in her mouth. Her vibrant hair was spread out across the black granite floors and her eyebrows were furrowed over her emerald green eyes.

"Oh, sorry Lily…" James turned back to the mirror and removed his hand from his nose. There was a cut across the bridge of his nose, and blood was still coming out from inside.

"Oh my gosh!" Lily gasped and got up off the floor and rushed over to her fellow Head. "What happened?" She attempted to move his head towards hers so she could look at it, but James pulled back and covered his nose back up with his hand.

"Don't! It's nothing!" James protested and turned on the water.

"James if it was nothing," Lily began sternly, "you wouldn't be pouring blood out of your nose. Now stop being a baby and let me take a look at it." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to the toilet. "Sit on the edge of the tub and lean your head back." She sat on the toilet as James did what he was told, placing his head in Lily's lap. As she turned to grab some toilet paper, she felt her heart start to race. _Well I didn't need the party for getting in a situation I was trying to avoid…_ she thought grimly. She looked down at James and started to wipe away the blood. "So what happened?" she asked calmly.

"A Slytherin punched me in the nose," James replied bitterly.

"Why did he punch you?" She asked inquisitively as she reached up on the shelf for the first aid kit she brought from home. She opened it up and took out an alcohol pad and gently dabbed the bridge of his nose.

"Ow! That burns!" James yelled, his voice echoing off the stone walls of the bathroom.

"Sorry. It'll help though… It'll prevent you from getting an infection though," Lily insured soothingly. She looked from his nose to his warm eyes and they just stared at each other for a moment. That annoying warm feeling found a comfortable place in her cheeks again, and she began to get nervous. "So why did he punch you?"

"He started to give me some lip about the game tomorrow and I took some points away," James shrugged.

"That was unreasonable," Lily remarked as she finished up cleaning his nose.

"You actually agree with me?" James asked surprisingly. This was the first time that he could ever remember Lily Evans agreeing with him on an issue whenever he got in a fight.

"Yes. He overreacted, simple as that," Lily shrugged as she put up the kit. "All better now. You'll be good as new in no time."

"Thanks, Lily. So what was that you were eating," James asked curiously.

"Oh," Lily laughed nervously. "I guess I have what you could call an addiction to chocolate chip cookie dough, so my mum sends me a bucket of it every month."

"And what explains the eating it on the bathroom floor?" James teased lightly.

"Well," Lily began thoughtfully, "before I was accepted to Hogwarts, me and my sister would eat cookie dough together in the bathroom. I don't know why exactly, but we just did. It was our thing…" She got a far off look in her eyes and James thought he could see a little sadness in them.

"What made that change?"

"When I got accepted, Petunia began to despise me and started to call me a freak." Lily blinked and looked across the room, looking for something besides James's eyes to look at. "She doesn't like anything that isn't 'normal'."

"She doesn't see you for what a great person you really are." James grabbed her arm and placed her hand on his chest.

Once again, they locked eye contact and just stared at each other for several moments. Lily could have sworn that their faces were getting closer together when she heard someone burst into the common room downstairs. "Prongs! Where are you? Moony, Wormtail and I want to plaaaaaaaaay!"

James rolled his eyes as he sat up. "I should have never given him the bloody password," he chuckled and stood up. "I'll see you later Lily. Thanks again."

"Anytime…" she replied, watching him leave. It was then and there that Lily decided she was going to go to the party, and stay the whole time no matter what.

* * *

"What?!" Lily's other best friend Cynthia Cummings squealed with delight after Lily told her and Cami what had just happened in the bathroom.

"Shhhhh," Lily shushed, but was grinning nonetheless. "You don't want them to hear!" The boys were down in the common room, doing heaven knows what while the girls were in Lily's room.

"So did you guys kiss?" Cynthia pressed on, completely ignoring her friend's warning.

"NO!" Lily yelped. "Well, it looked for a minute like we were going to, but then Mr. "I'm-so-good-looking" Black, Remus and Peter came in the common room." Lily noticed that her voice sounded somewhat disappointed. "Ugh!" she grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. "Why am I acting like this?! Nothing happened, and I don't even know if I like him!"

Cami took the pillow away from Lily and put it in her lap. "Maybe because you're in denial?" She stated this as if it was the most evident thing on the planet.

"About what?" Lily asked irritated. She couldn't understand why all of a sudden she found herself attracted to Potter. It just didn't seem right.

"That you actually do like him. You've just hated him for so long that you have grown comfortable with despising him and putting him down. You're scared of anything different." Cami leaned forward and flicked Lily on her freckled forehead.

"Ow!" Lily grabbed another pillow and threw it at Cami. Cynthia quickly pulled her caramel colored hair into a ponytail and yelled, "PILLOW FIGHT!"

* * *

Downstairs, the Marauders were all lounging around the common room, sipping on butterbeers. Peter jumped when they all heard a high pitched scream followed by fits of laughter.

"Why is it that whenever girls get together, there is always laughing?" Sirius asked in tone that mimicked a wise man contemplating a deep thought.

"Maybe it's because they're more care free than us guys?" Remus suggested.

"I wasn't serious, Moony!" Sirius jested. "And no deep, thoughtful, meaningful conversation tonight! Blech!" He made a face as if he had just eaten something dreadfully sour.

James chuckled as he took a swig of his butterbeer. "Alright Padfoot. We'll save you the agony of using your brain." He sniffed slightly and his nose panged a bit. He flinched slightly, but tried to act as if nothing had happened. He had already told the guys what had happened with the Slytherin, but not what had happened between Lily and him.

Remus looked at him suspiciously. "So if you didn't go to the nurse, then how did you get your nose cleaned up so well?"

James stopped and hesitated for a moment. "Umm… Lily did it for me…"

"Oh really?" Sirius inquired. "Did anything happen?"

"No. Nothing happened, so don't press me." James gave them all a look of warning and the immediately knew what that meant. James wasn't one to share his personal life so easily with others… except he felt like the only two people he could open up to were Sirius and Lily. But other than that, he was a closed book.

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Ok so, i tried to make this one a bit longer, so I hope you enjoyed it! OH and speaking of butterbeer... my best friend totally found a recipie online on how to make it, and she made it the other night and I tried it. It's really good, but REALLY sweet. I reccomend finding the recipie and trying it. 


	4. Chapter 4 The Quidditch Game

Once again, i don't own anything you recognize. i do own my made-ups though, so hands off! but i wish i did own james... cough

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"Sorry guys," a soft voice interrupted the boys. They turned their heads to see Lily at the bottom of the stairs. "I think I left my wand down here. Have any of you seen it?" All the Marauders were staring at her, but James's mouth was hanging slightly open. Lily was wearing a form-fitting white tank top and short plaid boxer shorts. A small sliver of her midriff showed, but not too much. However, it was her hair that set James and the others off the most. Her long, thick copper tresses reached down to the small of her back and hung in large loose waves. Tiny strands gently tickled her face as she searched the Marauder's staring faces for an answer.

"Uh, guys?" She placed her hands on her hips. "My wand?" The guys seemed to snap out if it and all started talking at once, but none of it was comprehensible. Lily could feel her eardrums aching for a more tranquil volume. "Quiet!" Lily yelled. "I just want to find my wand!"

"It's on the mantle," James replied, trying to sound as calm as he possibly could. He grabbed a pillow and placed it on his lap to cover the growing bulge in his pants.

"Thanks," Lily offered a small smile before cantering over to the fireplace and retrieving her wand. "See you guys later." With that she disappeared back upstairs.

"She…she…" James stuttered, trying to find the words to speak. His mouth was running dry and his mind was racing. Lily hardly ever wore her hair fully down and if she did it was always straight.

"Prongs you can murder me for saying this," Sirius started, "but Lily Evans is one hott woman! She's not a girl anymore!"

"You think?!" James's voice jumped an octave. "Did you see her hair? And those legs! She has the legs of Aphrodite!"

Remus shook his head as Peter remained silent, sipping his butterbeer. "Yes, yes," Remus piped in, sounding slightly aggravated. "Lily is a beautiful girl. But Prongs, you can't let her see you looking at her like that or hear you talking about her like that. She'll think you're a pig and you'll scare her off."

"I know, I know…" James growled and rolled his eyes. He really liked Lily, maybe even loved her… but when the hormonal teenage boy inside him was set free, he wanted nothing but to hold her and kiss her senseless. "The party tomorrow night will interesting to say the least…"

* * *

Three-fourths of the crowd groaned as Derek Montgomery, one of the other Chasers on the team, besides James, took a bludger to the stomach. He managed to get to the ground alright and James called a time out.

As the team touched down, they all gathered in a huddle. "Montgomery are you okay?" James asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Yeah," Derek cringed a little as he held his stomach tenderly. "I don't think any ribs are broken. I can still play."

"Alright, but get checked out by the nurse afterwards. Now, Nelson, Black…I want you two to keep up the front. Montgomery and I will handle the Quaffle and then pass it to you, Nelson, to score. Black, make sure Nelson doesn't get hit. Greene," James looked over at Camielle, "I want you to keep up the rear, but keep an eye out for Michaels," He nodded his over to Alexander Michaels, the seeker. "When we score at least thirty more points, I want you to go after that Snitch! Now, Brinkerhoff," James turned his head to Troy Brinkerhoff, the Keeper. "You're doing a very good job. Just keep doing what you're doing. Alright. Everyone clear?"

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"Ok then! Let's send those Slytherins back to the castle crying!" They all cheered and got back up in the air.

They all assumed their positions, as the Slytherins flew towards them, handling the Quaffle. James flew up behind Christensen, a Slytherin Chaser and snatched the ball from his grasp. He and Montgomery started passing the Quaffle to each other while dodging Bludgers and Slytherins dirty attempts to steal the Quaffle back.

James received the Quaffle and handled it over to Tayler. She caught it and zoomed closer to the hoops, and scoring in the lower left hoops.

Cheers elicited from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw while boos and groans were ejected from the Slytherin section.

"And Nelson scores another ten points for Gryffindor setting the score 100-70!" The commentator was having a difficult time holding in his enthusiasm that Gryffindor was winning so far. "Potter has definitely picked a winning team this- OW! Potter will undoubtedly be feeling that one in the morning!"

Lily gasped with terror as she watched Ludo Bagman, one of the Slytherin beaters swing his bat deliberately into James's back. "Oh! That was uncalled for!" Lily screamed with rage. She kept her eyes on him as he flew down to the ground, wincing as he landed. Madam Pomfrey rushed over to him, assumingly fussing about how dangerous of a sport Quidditch was while making sure there wasn't any permanent damage to James's spine.

"Lily," Cynthia rolled her eyes impatiently. "Slytherins always play dirty. What do you expect? Besides, James has had much worse. He'll live." She eyed her best friend suspiciously as Lily clutched her face apprehensively.

It appeared that what Cynthia claimed was true; James was back in the air within a few short minutes. In the next ten minutes, Gryffindor had scored forty more points, but still didn't have the Snitch in their possession. The Slytherin Beaters were making sure of that. Slytherin had in turn scored an additional twenty points for themselves, however Sirius sent a Bludger straight into Christensen's stomach when he attempted to score another goal.

"Has he seen it? Yes I think he has! Michaels has spotted the Snitch once more!" James couldn't help but turn his head and watch Jacob pull out of a dive with the Snitch clutched tightly in his hand.

The cheers that erupted from the stands below were deafening. "GRYFFINDOR WINS! 290-90! An incredible victory for Potter and his team!"

Lily and Cynthia hustled as fast as they could out onto the field to congratulate Cami. Lily couldn't restrain the smile that was forcing itself onto her face. The excitement surrounding her was contagious. Once they made it onto the field and found Cami, they hugged her and smothered her with praise.

"You were fantastic!"

"Your flying HAS improved!"

"Of course it has," a deep voice interrupted them and all three girls turned their heads to see Sirius standing behind them. He was wearing a smirk on his face, but the look in his chrome colored eyes suggested that the pride he was feeling wasn't for himself. "Sorry Greene, but James wants us all to shower now so we can start the party sooner."

"Oh ok," Cami nodded and turned to Lily and Tori. "I'll see you guys in a little bit. Bye!" She waved as she followed Sirius back to the locker room.

"Come on," Cynthia pushed Lily towards the castle. Her face was pink from being in the sun and blueish grey eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "We need to hurry and change. I've sweated through this shirt."

"Ok," Lily replied. Despite what she wanted to believe, she was highly looking forward to the party, but felt extremely nervous at the same time.

About ten minutes later, they were up in Lily's dorm room. "Lily, do not be nervous! It's just a party. Nothing is going to happen!" Cynthia ransacked through Lily's wardrobe while trying to calm Lily down. "Can I borrow this shirt?" She held up a red long sleeved one.

"Sure," Lily consented as she pulled a solid primary color blue t-shirt over her head. "But Cynthia… this is James Potter we're talking about here! Something is going to happen! I can feel it!"

"Whatever," Cynthia mumbled as she put on Lily's shirt. "You only feel like something is going to happen because you're anxious…and I think this is further proof that you like James. Maybe you actually WANT something to happen, especially after what happened last night."

"That's crazy," Lily shook her head as she changed into a pair of jeans. But what Cynthia said bothered Lily. Maybe she really did like James and did want something to happen.

* * *

thanks to everyone who reviewed and has been reading the story! i'm sorry i haven't been updating as much as i promised and would have hoped to. this is my last summer before i start college and i've been on vacations and trying to spend a lot of time with my friends before i start the real life. i can't promise frequent updates, but i DO promise to keep the story going. i have so many plans for it, that i can't give up on it. so even though the updates might not be as frequent as i would like, there will be updates.

so out of curiosity...how did you guys like the fifth movie? i loved it for the most part except for the one scene i'd been looking forward to for MONTHS. and i think you guys can figure out which one it was since i write so much about them! but...was i the only one who practically fell in love with bellatrix?! i thought she was awesome!!! so yeah, let me know what you liked and didn't like.

oh and sorry for the name mix up there...i was having a stupid moment and accidentally renamed Cynthia "Tori" which is another character of mine. but hopefully i changed all the names back. let me knoe if i missed one! 


	5. Chapter 5 The Party part one

**I'M NOT JK ROWLING! I DON'T OWN THE MARAUDERS (although i wouldn't have objections to that)! All made ups are MINE!**

Lily let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes Cynthia. I can handle it. If it gets to be too much for me, I can leave."

"Okay then. Just let Cami or me know if we're needed." Cynthia have her a warm smile and let Lily lead the way up the stairs.

It was a long climb, but six years of astronomy built a strength and immunity in the girls' legs. A welcoming waft of cool air washed over them as they stepped out onto the top landing. Two huge and identical sixth year boys stood guarding the archway to the outside of the tower. They were blonde, both standing at six and half feet, and looked like they would rip someone's arms off if provoked enough. Cynthia and Lily exchanged a skeptical glance at each other. Why anyone would tick these two off was beyond them; they looked ticked off as it was already.

"Name?" The one on the right asked in a gruff voice. Lily's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Were James and Sirius pulling another practical joke? Bouncers seemed to be a pretty ridiculous security measure for what was supposed to be a small party.

Just then, James walked up behind the twin bouncers grinning from ear to ear. "Oh don't worry Ralph. I invited them."

Bouncer Ralph nodded and stepped aside to let the girls through. Cynthia shook with laughter and Lily rolled her eyes. "Honestly James…bouncers? Is it really necessary?"

"Very much so. Someone has to make sure no Slytherins get in." James shrugged and took a sip of the butterbeer he had in his hand. "They're in last place for the cup now and one of them already attacked a third year girl."

"Are you serious?" Lily could understand the Slytherins being upset, but attacking other students was absurd.

"I'm dead serious," James nodded, suddenly looking very grim. "Ralph and Charlie are the big brothers of that third year, and were more than happy to make sure no other Gryffindors got attacked."

"It is a good idea now that I know the situation," Lily smiled warmly at him.

"Well I need to go for a few minutes," James said in a tone that suggested that he would rather poke Ralph and Charlie with a sharp stick than miss an opportunity to talk to Lily more. "Sirius wants me to assist him in a play-by-play account for some fourth year girls he invited. I'll talk to you in a little while, okay?" He raised his eyebrows hopefully at Lily.

"Yeah," Lily nodded, smiling slightly. "We need to find Cami anyways."

"Alright then," James leaned in kissed her on the cheek. "See you later." He winked at Lily and walked off to join Sirius. Her skin tingled pleasantly where James's lips had been, and could feel warmth snuggling comfortably right on her cheekbones. "Why does he do that?" She asked to no one in particular.

"You're so blind," Cynthia rolled her eyes and looked over to the refreshment table. "Look, there's Cami!" She grabbed Lily by the arm again and dragged her over to where Cami was standing, talking to a few fifth and sixth year boys about the possible match ups for the cup.

"We're second in the running," She explained to a fifth year redheaded boy. "I highly doubt Hufflepuff has enough gumption to beat us, so unless Slytherin can beat Ravenclaw by a margin of 200 points, and we beat…I'd say it's going to be Gryffindor and Ravenclaw fighting for the cup."

"But if Slytherin _does_ beat Ravenclaw by that much, you'll be going up against them again for the Cup!" He retorted back.

"I don't think so," a dark haired sixth year piped in. "Ravenclaw has an amazing line up this year, almost as good as ours. Until Hell freezes over, Slytherin doesn't stand a chance."

"Hey Cami," Cynthia greeted cheerfully as she pushed in next to her, Lily coming up on her other side. "Again, fantastic job at the game! I think Bagman was ready to break his broom after you sent that bludger sailing after him."

"It's too bad, I couldn't knock him off," Cami said a little disgruntled. "If I had, James probably wouldn't have gotten that bludger to his back…I could tell he was aiming for me, but James flew in the way." The boys who had her attention were looking a little put off now that her attention was somewhere else and started to walk away.

"You mean he let himself get hit on purpose?" Lily asked, suddenly feeling rooted to the ground. James took the bludger for one of her best friends. She couldn't remember such a selfless act coming from James Potter, but she was still impressed by it. "I can't believe it…"

"Yeah," Cami nodded, her face reflecting gratitude. "You don't give him enough credit, Lils. He sacrifices so much for the team. You know Tayler Nelson? Her broomstick got broken over the summer, and her family can't afford a new one. She came back this year, telling James she couldn't be on the team since she didn't have a decent broom. He didn't want to see one of our most valuable players go, so he bought her a brand new one."

Lily's mouth dropped open. "Really? Oh my gosh…" How could she have been so naïve to how generous James was? She had let her malice and prejudice against him blind her to the good qualities he possessed.

"Tayler begged him to let her pay him back," Cami continued, smirking and shaking her head, "but James won't let her. He says the only way she can pay him back is by showing him that the broom he bought her is being put to good use. So she works her tail off every practice to make sure we win the Cup. She refuses to let James down."

Lily was speechless. She looked over to where James was. He was standing next to Sirius, talking animatedly to six fourth year girls who looked like they practically worshiped Sirius and James. Lily was sure they didn't care about a single word that came out of their mouths, just as long as they had a good enough excuse to stare at them. "I'm gonna go walk around…" she mumbled to her friends before grabbing a bottle of butterbeer and opening it. The redhead paced her way over to the edge of the tower and looked out over the grounds. She leaned on the ledge and took a sip of her drink. The sun was beginning to set, casting shades of pinks, oranges, and yellows onto the sky and the patches of clouds that were scattered across it. The grounds were almost empty except for a few students relaxing by lake under a huge oak tree, and Hagrid was in his garden, tilling the ground for his next batch of plants.

Lily was having a hard time coming to grips about the stuff she learned about James. How could he be so arrogant and superior and so kind and generous at the same time? It just didn't seem to add up right.

"Mind if I join you?" Lily turned to see the boy she was just thinking about walking up to her. She noticed that he had a very slight limp to his step, but it didn't seem to bother him that much.

"Sure," she nodded, only managing to give him half a smile before turning back to the ledge. She took another sip of her butterbeer before placing it down.

"What seems to be bothering you?" James asked, looking down at Lily with a confused expression. He leaned on the ledge facing Lily and folded his arms.

Lily bit her lip and shook her head, not looking at James. "It's you James. I can't figure you out." She finally looked over at him after a moments pause. "It's like you're two completely different people."

A vertical line creased itself between James's eyebrows as they furrowed into deeper confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm me, James Potter. I'm the same person I've always been."

"No, that not what I'm talking about…" She paused again, trying to collect her thoughts. She didn't want to come across as accusatory when all she was trying to do was find out who James Potter really was. "Cami told me about you taking the bludger for her and buying Tayler Nelson a new broom this year since she couldn't afford one."

James looked a little taken aback by what Lily just told him. "What about it? I still don't get what's bothering you."

"What's bothering me is that I never see that side of you James," Lily shook her head again and took another sip of her butterbeer. "Whenever you're around me, you act like you're king of the world. But then I hear stories like this about you, and it clouds my perspective. I just don't know what to think about you anymore."

"Okay," James began, standing up straight, facing Lily. "The reason I don't let you see that side of me, is because I'm terrified you'll think I'm trying too hard when I'm not. My parents raised me to put my friends and others before myself. Cami and Tayler are good people and they're not just my teammates…They're my friends too. I wasn't just going to stand aside and let Cami get hurt today. And I sure as hell wasn't going to watch one of my best players walk away from the team just because her family can't afford a broom from her. I simply want to make sure the people I care about are happy, that's all."

"Then why do you act the way you do around me? I don't understand…" Lily couldn't look at James just now. The things she was learning about him in such a short time was a little too much. She stared out at the disappearing sunset as darkness began to enclose around them.

"I admit that I am a little egotistical, but that comes with the territory of being an only child." James shrugged, not knowing how else to explain himself. "But I just wanted you to notice me and like me. Plus I don't have you down as the type of girl that likes wimpy guys who don't know how to stand up for themselves." He winked at her nudged her lightly on the shoulder. Lily still didn't look at him, her eyes lost in thought. James sighed and hung his head a little. "Look Lily…I know it may seem like I'm just trying to impress you to get some action, but I'm not like that despite you may have heard. I respect you too much to try that."

It was then that Lily finally looked at him. Her eyes searched his face for some possible contradiction, but when she didn't see any she had no choice but to believe him. "Really?"

"Yeah," James nodded. He stepped closer to her and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You're too good to be a conquest."

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Wow, I didn't expect so much response to that last chapter! I got so many favorites and alert adds and even a community add! WOOHOO! But thank you to everyone who read the story, added me to their favorites, alerts, and especially to those who reviewed. I'm surprised at myself for having another update after one day, but I just couldn't stop writing last night! It was such a thrill and ideas kept popping into my head. This chapter kind of took a different turn than I was planning, but I like the way it turned out better.

So please, PLEASE review! I want to know your thoughts on this story if they're good OR bad.

THANKS!  
-devs


	6. Chapter 6 The Party part two

I'm nt JK Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own the Marauders. Anything you don't recognize is MINE! RAWR.  
Song belongs to RJA

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It was then and there that Lily decided to let go of her own pride and doubts about James and give him a chance. As she leaned on the ledge of the astronomy tower, she let out a long sigh. "You really are something else, James Potter." She felt a grin push up the reluctant corners of her mouth.

"Are you actually paying me a compliment?" James jested as he nudged her playfully on the shoulder again.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Lily teased back. Just then, a slow song started up. The redhead took a deep breath of the cool night air, pretty sure of what was going to happen next.

Just like clockwork, James turned to her and asked, "Would you like to dance?" Lily looked at him for a second, a slight smirk on her face. "Yeah," she replied. "I'd love to." James grinned and took her by the hand to lead her to the area the Marauders had designated as the dance floor. Cami was dancing with one of the guys she had been talking to earlier and Cynthia was dancing with Remus. There were a few other couples, but that didn't ease the feeling Lily had that she was standing in a very bright spotlight. However her anxiety only increased when James placed both his hands around her waist. She froze for just a minute but then placed her hands lightly behind his neck.

Lily was silent for a moment, not sure what to say. She listened to the lyrics of the music, feeling like she had heard them before.

_When I see your smile  
Tears run down my face I can't replace  
And now that I'm stronger I've figured out  
How this world turns cold and breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one _

"Wait a minute…" Lily started, "I know this song! You sang it at my fourteenth birthday party! You had snuck in when it was supposed to be girls only!"

James laughed softly and pulled Lily closer to him. "You don't miss a thing. But I had to do something to make you never forget me, and it seems my evil scheme was successful!"

"Well who said you were successful?" Lily teased. "The night isn't over and I could just very well forget you."

"You're right," James replied back. "The night is still young and I'm sure I can make sure you'll never forget me."

"We'll just see about that," Lily said with another smirk on her face.

Use me as you will  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
And I know I'll be ok  
Though my skies are turning gray

As soon as the song ended, they pulled apart. Lily was amazed at how close they actually became and suddenly felt chilly. A shiver ran down her spine, and although she tried to hide it from James, he didn't miss it. "Here, take my sweater." He pulled his sweater off over his head and handed it to her.

"Oh James," Lily started to protest. "No, I can't. You'll be cold now."

"Lily," James raised his eyebrows and looked very serious. "I'm a guy. I don't get cold. Besides I was burning up as it is. Now I just have a good excuse to take it off."

"Fine," Lily took it, putting an expression of mock resentment on her face as she took his black sweater from his hand. "But I am taking it under protest."

James simply shook his head. "As long as you take it, I'm fine with that." Lily stuck her tongue out at him before pulling the sweater over her head. Her hair got caught underneath it, and James wasted no time in helping her out. "Allow me," he caught her hand as she struggled to get her hair out. He gently pulled on her hair and let it fall once it was set free. "It got caught on your belt."

"Ugh, I hate it when that happens," Lily shook her head. "I want to cut just a few inches off, but everyone swears they'll kill me if I cut it." She began to walk back to the ledge since a faster paced song was starting up. James followed and leaned on the ledge and looked out at the lake.

"Why don't you do what you want?" He asked furrowing his eyebrows.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lily asked, feeling a little defensive suddenly. "I do what I want."

James shook his head. "No you don't. You just said you'd cut your hair if you're life wasn't being threatened." Lily started to interrupt him, but James cut her off. "Just listen to me Lily. I see you in potions class, ok? You are like Slughorn's little puppet. I know you hate it when he asks you to demonstrate to us how to do a certain potion, but you still listen to him. And whenever McGonagall gets on your case about how "poor" your work is, you just take it instead of standing up for yourself. I see it in your eyes Lily…You hate it."

Lily pressed her mouth into a thin line and shook her head. "I don't like confrontations, and they are our teachers James! You have to do what they want you to do. It's just how it is."

"Ok, fine," James shrugged, deciding he was fighting a losing battle. "But I think you should do what you want with your hair. Do you really think people will kill you because you cut it?"

"No…I just…"

"You just want to make people happy by doing what they tell you to do."

"Well you try to make people happy James! I don't see the difference." Lily began to breathe hard, and her chest felt like it was going to burst because her heart was pounding so fast.

"I make people happy by helping them out, not by bowing down to everyone's whim!" James retorted. Why did such a perfect evening have to turn out this way?

"Maybe I should go…" Lily looked at James with a mingle of anger and sadness in her eyes. "I'll see you later." She began to walk off, fully regretting she came to this stupid party.

"No, Lily don't go, please," James pleaded, catching her hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, James. I want to go," Lily lied. "Besides, I'm doing something _I_ want to do for a change. Right? I'll see you later." She tore her hand from his and marched away from the party and down the stairs.

Fifteen minutes later, Lily was in the head's bathroom, with a pair of scissors in her hand. James was right, as much as she hated to admit it. She never did anything because she wanted to. All her life she had been doing what everyone had been telling her to do. Her parents didn't care where she went to school as long as she got good grades. Her teachers didn't care if she was humiliated during class, just as long as she got her work done. She had gone to the party because Cami wanted her to. Her friends didn't care what she looked like as long as she didn't cut her hair. But she had had enough. She twisted her hair around and cut her hair. She felt a sudden wave of relief when she saw five inches of red hit the dark tiled floor.

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Wow! Three days in a row and I've been able to update each day! WOOHOO!!!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It means so much to me! Let's see if we can get up to 30 reviews, ok? I want to hear your opinions!

Ok, i realize i may be getting some death glares and people may want to throw tomatoes at me for wrecking such a cute moment between James and Lily. But i don't like making things move so fast for them! i will say that it's going to be at _least_ a few more chapters until we see them kiss. Lily is still confused about him, even though she's decided to give him a chance. yes, she's still giving him a chance after their little fight. so yeah.

PLEASE REVIEW!

-Dev


	7. Chapter 7 A Fresh Start

Disclaimer- If I was JK Rowling, I wouldn't have to be going to college and scraping for money. Therefore, I am not her and the only characters in my story that do not belong to her are any that you do not recognize.

Ok, I'm back! I'm so so SOOO sorry for the long delay, but as I might have said before, I'm in college now and it's really hectic. I haven't given up on the story I promise!!!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate it so much! I apologize for this chapter's shortness, but I've been busy, so yeah. I'll try to produce a longer one for the next chapter.

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**Chapter Seven**

James knew he should have chased after Lily, but his past experiences with her taught him that it was better not to. About thirty minutes later, he decided to leave the party. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to pretend to have a good time after the argument he and Lily just had.

He walked into the Head's Common Room feeling as if he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. James wanted to make up with Lily, however he wasn't so sure if she wanted to. "Oh what use is it?" He asked himself as he entered the bathroom. Then what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Scattered all around the sink were chunks of red hair on the floor. He walked over and picked up a piece. It was at least five inches long. "Shit…What I have I done?" James mentally kicked himself as he let the hair drop from his hand. He would never forgive himself if he had sent Lily over the edge, unintentionally making her do something she really didn't want to do.

A soft muffled sound reached his ears. It sounded as if it were inside Lily's room, so he cautiously pushed his ear against the wood of her door. Sobs and sniffs were distinguishable and James just could not allow himself to stand there and do nothing.

He knocked on the door before opening it and poking his head in. "Lily? Are you ok?" _A stupid question to ask really_, he thought. _If she was ok, she wouldn't be crying, would she? _"I'm really sorry for what happened at the party." Lily was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees and her head buried in them. She shook her head before raising it so she could look at James. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red and puffy.

"Yeah I'm ok," She answered truthfully. She gave James a weak smile before wiping away some more tears. "I actually want to thank you."

"What?" James asked shell-shocked about how things appeared to be turning around. "Thank me for what? I ruined what was supposed to be a fun night…"

Lily couldn't help but let out a small laugh. What he said was only partially true since she held half of the blame as well. She got off her bed and walked over to James. He could see that her hair now reaches just beneath her shoulder blades. "James I want to thank you for making me recognize the fact that I need to stop doing things for people just to make them happy." She smiled brightly at him and continued. "And I started by doing just that," She gathered her hair in her hands and brought it over her right shoulder, "by doing something that made me happy for once. I cut my hair." Lily shrugged and looked at James, waiting for his reply.

"I don't know what to say," James said shaking his head and scratching the back of it. "You're welcome?"

Lily laughed as she stepped closer to James. "I'll take it.'

"There's one thing I don't understand though," James interjected, confusion shadowing his eyes. "If you're happy then why were you crying?"

"Well," Lily started looking a little hesitant now. "I was crying because I'm upset with myself for being so stupid and I'm happy I that I have someone like you to help me stop being so stupid." One corner of her mouth inched up a little bit before dropping.

"Oh," James nodded, his confusion still present. "That makes sense…" He added in tones that suggested the contrary.

"Yeah, I know it's confusing," Lily shrugged. "But there's one more thing I want to make me happy James…" She stepped towards him again and laced her fingers with his. "I want you." She offered a small smile.

"Are you serious?" James asked, not being able to hold back the grin on his face. He couldn't believe that after all these years, Lily was giving him a chance.

"Very much so," Lily answered, smiling like such a fool she could feel her cheeks starting to hurt.

"Um, would I be pushing my luck by asking you to go on a date with me tomorrow?" James looked at her hopefully, tracing small circles on the palm of her hand with his thumb.

"Not at all," Lily replied. "I'd love to." She raised herself on her tip toes to kiss James on the cheek.

"Great," It took all of James's self-restraint to keep himself from shouting for joy. His skin tingled with excitement where Lily had kissed him. "Meet me in the courtyard at seven, okay?" He already had in mind where he wanted to take Lily, but it would take a bit more planning to make it all possible.

"Okay," Lily agreed, her smile still growing, making her cheeks beg for relief.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," James said, sorely tempted to kiss her, but wanting to keep his word that Lily was not a conquest, he settled for kissing her on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, James." When James walked out of her room closing the door behind him, Lily ran over to her bed and started jumping up and down on it. Once her legs were shaking and couldn't take anymore, she collapsed down and squealed with delight as she hugged a pillow.

The following morning was bright and sunny. Rays of the sun peaked their way into the Head Girl's room, landing inconveniently on her lightly freckled face. She rolled around trying to block out the annoying light, but failed miserably. Lily finally sat up and stretched her tired limbs with an enthusiastic grin under her nose. She had to search her brain for a minute to remember why she felt so elated and cheery this early in the morning. Then she remembered. Her and James had come to level ground and were going to take a shot at being James and Lily the couple. However, she wasn't entirely sure if they were boyfriend and girlfriend just yet.

Lily jumped out of bed and immediately got dressed. It was a open Sunday, so she could spend the day as she pleased.

A little while later, she was down in the Great Hall with a small bounce in her step. Cynthia and Cami were already eating breakfast. "Good Morning!" Lily greeted gleefully, sitting across from them and taking a muffin.

Cami gave her a disgruntled look. She was not the most pleasant person to be around in the morning and thought that anyone who could be so cheerful in the morning deserved to suffer a horrific death ensued by vice grips, butter, and dictionaries. "Who hit you with a cheering charm?" She asked Lily picking apart her own muffin and throwing the pieces onto her plate. Then she stared at Lily as if she was seeing her properly for the first time. "You cut your hair?"

"Yeah," Lily nodded as she poured herself some pumpkin juice. "I've been wanting to for a while, so I cut it last night after the party."

Cynthia looked dumbstruck. "You took off so much!"

"It was only about five inches." The horrified expressions on her friends' faces didn't ease up in the slightest. "Guys lighten up! It's still long, okay? Besides, it's my hair and I'll do what I want with it."

"But…" Cami just stared at Lily, looking as if she had just been given the lowest insult anyone could give her.

"I'm serious guys," Lily interjected sharply. "It's HAIR. Grow up or I'll shave it all off!" Lily's cheeks burned, hardly believing she had just snapped at her friends so loudly in the middle of breakfast. A few people looked in her direction but looked away, obviously thinking the spat was nothing interesting enough to hold their attention.

"Sorry…" Cami apologized. "It's just a bit of a shock."

"Yeah," Cynthia agreed. "It actually looks nice. I like it."

"Thank you," Lily nodded taking a deep breath. She then got a sly grin on her face and leaned in. "I have something to tell you guys," she added in an excited whisper. Her two friends imitated the motion and leaned in to hear what juicy news Lily was about to divulge. "I want to keep it on the downlow for a while, but you two deserve to know." Lily bit her lip, the exciting anxiety building up again. "James and I are going on a date tonight."

Both of her friends' jaws almost dropped to the table and their eyes were wide with shock and anticipation. "Are you serious?!" Cynthia squeaked. "Oh my goodness! So when did he ask you?"

"Last night after the party…" Lily giggled slightly. "I'm meeting him in the courtyard at seven. Needless to say, I'm kinda nervous, but I'm so excited at the same time!"

"You should be! This is a big step for you two!" Cami was bouncing in her seat and grinning from ear to ear.

"Remember though," Lily went on with a sudden hint of caution and cautiousness, "Not a word to anyone. I don't know how this is going to go, and I don't want people making a big deal out of this."

"Okay, we won't breathe a word," Cynthia promised, putting a hand on her heart.

"Our lips are sealed." Cami nodded her head and pretended to zip her lips shut and throw away a key.

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Please review! I accept constructive criticism, but please... No flamming.

I'll update as soon as I can! I PROMISE!

Love,  
Dev


	8. Chapter 8 The Date

WOO! Yay for updates!  
Thanks for those who reviewed the last chapter!

Disclaimer- I do not claim to own Harry Potter or anything created by JK Rowling. I do not wish to make her lawyers angry.

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**Chapter Eight**

It was six fifteen and Lily was going positively frantic in the Head's dorm. Sirius had found her after breakfast and told her that James was planning something very special, so she should dress up for the occasion. "What the heck am I going to wear?!" Cami and Cynthia, being the true friends they were, were helping Lily get ready for her big date with James.

"Now just calm down, Lily!" Cynthia exclaimed. "I'm sure you have something in here that will work." She stepped over a large pile of clothes and walked over to Lily's wardrobe and began searching through articles of clothing that hadn't been thrown on the floor.

"No I don't! I've searched that thing a million times today!" Lily whimpered as Cami pulled and tugged at her hair trying to coax it out of its waves and make it straight.

"Really?" Cynthia asked skeptically as she pulled out a dress. "Then what is this that was hiding in the back of your closet?" She was holding up a little black halter top dress made out of silk.

"Oh! I totally forgot I had that!" Lily sighed a breath of relief. "My mom bought that for me to wear to last year's ball, but I never went…" Lily got up off the bed and took the dress into her hands. "I don't even remember packing it."

"Maybe she packed it without you knowing it," Cami stated. "She probably thought there might be an occasion this year where you might need it. Now get your butt back over here so I can finish your hair!"

Thirty five minutes later, Lily was ready. Thanks to Cami, her hair was sleek and straight pulled halfway back and her bangs swept to the side of her face. The hem line on the dress Cynthia found came up just above her knees and it hugged her curves in all the right places. Her shoes were a simple pair of black heels and her makeup only consisted of some light brown eyeliner and mascara. "Ok, I think I'm ready." She smiled nervously at her two friends.

"Don't worry, you look amazing!" Cynthia began ushering her out the door. "Now hurry or you'll be late!"

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Lily took a deep breath walked out of the wide oak doors and into the courtyard. What she saw made her heart skip a beat and gasp quickly. "Oh my gosh…" The courtyard was lit with candles that were placed anywhere and everywhere there was room to place one. James was standing in the middle next to the fountain wearing jeans paired with a white button up shirt topped with a black suit jacket. His hair was still as wild as ever, but he was wearing his contacts again instead of his glasses. In his hands he was holding a single red rose. Lily grinned and walked over to him.

The moment James saw her, he couldn't restrain his face from splitting into a wide grin. Maybe it was the candlelight playing tricks on him, but Lily seemed to be glowing. The way her hair was pulled away from her face and the way the dress she was wearing fit on her curves made her look simply radiant. "You look absolutely beautiful," He greeted her as she walked up to him, and gave her the flower. He planted a light kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you," Lily replied, taking the rose and still smiling like a fool. "You look rather handsome yourself, James."

"Thanks. Well, we better get going, or we're going to be late." James offered his hand to her which she took willingly.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked curiously.

"If I told you, then I'd have to kill you," James winked playfully at her as they began walking out of the courtyard.

"Haha," Lily teased back. "Seriously…Where are we going?"

"Well, I thought we'd go out to dinner." James said lightly, yet it sounded like he as itching to tell her what he was really planning. They walked a little ways further before the next of James's surprises was revealed. A large black carriage was waiting for them and was lined with red roses, pulled by a black stallion horse.

"James…" Lily breathed, "Oh my goodness…"

"Don't say anything, okay?" James helped her into the carriage before sitting down himself.

"But," Lily pressed on, protesting, "this must have cost a…"

"Lily," James interrupted, "Don't worry about it….please. I just want you to enjoy tonight. It's going to be absolutely amazing."

"But…I…okay," Lily let out an exasperated sigh.

She assumed that since they were going out to dinner that they would be going to Hogsmeade; but the carriage didn't even go near the front gate. Instead it made a trail that hugged the shore of the lake. Trying to fight back the urge to ask where they were going again, Lily inched herself up closer to James so that his body heat could keep the exposed parts of her skin warm. There was a comfortable silence between them as if they were both just soaking in the thought of actually being on a date with each other. This continued for several minutes before the carriage stopped. Lily looked around and didn't see a table or anything that would indicate them being served dinner. "James…" she began apprehensively as James stepped out of the carriage.

"Trust me," He cut her off and offered her his hand once again. She took it and stepped out of the carriage with James's assistance. Lily didn't dare let go of James's hand as he was the one who was supposedly leading her to their dinner. James began pulling her in the direction of a willow tree whose leaves hung like a curtain around the trunk. He pulled back the leaves and allowed Lily to go in first.

In the clearing, there was a picnic blanket set with a lit candelabra, fine china and silverware. "Oh my gosh…" Lily almost felt like crying. This was turning out to be better than any date she could ever imagine. She looked over at James who was beaming. "Come on, let's eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

Lily followed James over to the blanket and sat down with her legs folded to the side. She looked over the blanket and all the food that was available. There were two plates piled with spaghetti and meatballs, a basket full of piping hot bread, and off to the side, there was an ice bucket with a bottle of wine sticking out of it. "James, this is wonderful!"

"You like it?" James asked with his eyebrows raised. "I remember last year you said you went to Italy for summer holiday and how much you loved it there, so I thought we would have some Italian for dinner."

Lily bit her lip, looking at James with appreciative eyes. It stunned her that he would remember something like that and then go out of his way to recreate the experience for her. "I love it…"

"Good! Well, let's eat!"

They spend the better half of the next two hours talking about their families and sharing embarrassing stories with one another and then laughing about them. "Hahaha, ok it's you're turn now." Lily grinned as she took the glass of red wine that James offered her.

James chuckled, putting the bottle back in the ice bucket. "Well, there was one time when I was two years old and my mum took me to the market to go shopping, and… I guess you could say I was going through an anti-diapers phase. My mum was looking at something and I managed to get away from her. When she discovered that I was missing, she went frantic looking for me and eventually she found me walking down the dairy aisle. I had taken off my diaper and was holding it in my hand, looking for somewhere to throw it away."

Lily laughed genuinely after he finished his story. "Wow, that's hilarious!"

"What's another embarrassing story about you?" James asked, taking his seventh helping of bread.

"Hmmm…" Lily thought for a second. Even though she was barely starting her second glass, the wine they had been drinking had made her brain a little fuzzy. "Ok, I have one. When I was thirteen, Cynthia invited Cami and me over to her house to stay the night for a week. Now, Cynthia has two older brothers. The younger one, Gregg, suggested we all go play hide and seek in their backyard, so we did. Well, he was it and I was running towards the base and he started chasing me. Without thinking, I looked back to see how close he was to tagging me, and I tripped over a brick path that they had. Everyone started laughing at me and Cynthia and Cami still remind me of it."

James laughed lightly. "Well you're not the clumsiest person I know, so don't feel too embarrassed about it."

Lily smiled before a yawn escaped her mouth. She covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. "Excuse me," she apologized.

"We should probably head back," James suggested. "You look like you're getting tired."

"Just a little," Lily shrugged. "But perhaps you're right." She took a deep breath and looked at James with a small smile. "Thank you for tonight. I had a really wonderful time."

"It was no problem. You're definitely worth it." James stood up and held out his hand for Lily. She took it, letting her date help her up. James took out his wand and cleared their dinner, making everything disappear.

"Thanks…" Lily felt her cheeks grow warm.

"Let's get going," James said quietly, taking her hand and leading her back to the carriage.

About fifteen minutes later, they were back in the Head's Dorm, just outside Lily's room. James looked out the window for a second and then down to their intertwined hands. "Lily," he began, meeting his eyes with hers, "I really like you a lot, and I don't want to risk anything by moving too fast. I'm just going to be even more tempted than I already am to kiss you if we don't say goodnight now. So, to save myself from torture…Goodnight."

Lily nodded her head understandingly and appreciatively. "Okay. Goodnight."

* * *

Ok, i'm not sure, but i think that chapter was longer than the last one...i hope so!  
i hope you guys enjoyed it! i wrote this while i had a head cold, so i apologize for not having a great deal of fluff or detail on the date. usually i'm really good at that stuff. oh, and i realize that you're probably frustrated with me for not having them kiss yet, but i PROMISE that the first kiss is coming soon. i want it to be absolutely special!

please, please, PLEASE review! it means a lot to me and helps me out more than you guys think.

love,  
dev


	9. Chapter 9 Deciding

**Disclaimer-** I find it ridiculous that I should state that I am not JK Rowling, because honestly...would JK Rowling be writing on FanFiction? I don't own anything except made-ups.

Yes, yes I have returned. =] This chapter only took me a day to write. I think it turned out alright considering it's been a VERY long time since I've written last. This is where the story starts to get into more serious topics and gets a little dark. However, I hope you enjoy it just the same!

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**Chapter Nine**

Lily woke up the next morning feeling as if the previous night had only been just a dream. It all seemed too perfect to be real… the candles, the carriage, the dinner, the wine...and of course James. He had gone far and beyond her expectations, making it the best date she had ever been on. She found it near impossible to believe how comfortable she had felt with just talking to him without any kind of awkwardness. _I'm not going to open my eyes,_ she thought forcefully. _If I do, then I'll have to realize that I only dreamed it._ Her conviction to keep her eyes shut was broken when there was a sharp knock at her bedroom door. "Lily?"

She groaned as she rolled out of bed. "Who is it," she asked through a yawn. She pulled on a silky robe over her white tank and plaid pajama bottoms. Her muscles moved in protest, desperately wishing to go back to their rested state.

"James of course! Hurry!" came the answer. His voice sounded frantic and, if she was not mistaken, angry. Lily answered the door and instantly felt fear grow across her face. There James was, in his own pajamas, holding up the front page of _The Daily Prophet_ in his hands, along with a piece of parchment with writing on it. The headline read: **"Mass Killing of Muggles in Spinners End Spreads Fear! You-Know-Who Primary Suspect!" **Lily's heart started racing and her breathing became hard and heavy.

"No…no…" She searched James's face for an answer to her unspoken question. She had lived not far from Spinners End since she was five years old. If Voldemort had gotten to her family…

"He didn't get them Lils," James assured her, but he still kept the tone of urgency in his voice. "I just thought you should know. Dumbledore sent us both a message and he wants to see us right now."

Lily could barely let out a sigh of relief. He had been so close to her parents…a flow of anger suddenly washed over her, invading every inch of her body. Her hands started to shake violently and she tried to speak, but the words never came out. James tried to reach out to pull her into a hug but before he could, Lily had turned away and went and sat down on her trunk. Her fingernails dug into the leather, and she started to rock back and forth. Voldemort was killing Muggles. And for what? Simply because he thought them beneath him?! She wanted to tear him to pieces, make him suffer as he made his victims and the families of his victims suffer. She reproached herself for thinking such a thing…wanting to do that made her just as bad as him… but it was such an injustice that innocent lives had to be taken for such a ridiculous reason! Lily clenched her jaw and shook her head. She was in such a livid state of mind, she didn't notice James kneeling in front of her with his hand on her knee.

"Lily?" He asked cautiously. James didn't know what to say or even how to say it if he knew. He was more than aware of how Lily felt about careless Muggle killing. Everyone knew. It wasn't like all muggleborns felt indifferent about the subject. All of them got worked up about it when there was a report in the _Prophet_. Yet, no words or actions seemed sufficient enough to calm her down or give her comfort. After debating with himself for half a second, he finally reached the hand that had been on her knee up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

Lily focused her eyes on James. She knew she couldn't let her anger get to her, especially in front of him. "Let's go see what Dumbledore has to say to us," she said in a flat voice as she stood up. Their date from last night now seemed like a distant memory….like a dream. This report had been such a rude awakening and reminder of what was really going on. She felt almost ashamed that she was having such happy and strong emotions towards James lately. It just didn't seem proper now…like being happy was forbidden in times such as this…like she should focus more on how to keep her and her family safe, not on her love life.

After pausing for a moment to scan her vivid green eyes for an answer to a question that he didn't quite know, James stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it, but James couldn't help but notice that she seemed hesitant at first. _Oh great…_a dreadful and agonizing voice in his head thought. _She's already starting to pull away._ Even though he really wanted to, he decided against saying something.

They walked hand in hand through the corridors, silently. Lily couldn't quite tell if people were looking at them because they were fresh out of bed in their pajamas still, or if it was because they were Lily Evans and James Potter holding hands. She forced herself to believe that it was the former, but for what reason she wasn't quite sure. They finally reached the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Um…" James turned his head to look at Lily. "I know Dumbledore changed the password since our last Heads meeting with him. Do you know it?" The redhead simply shook her head in reply, not looking at the boy who was holding her hand.

"The password is '_Fizzing Whizbees_'," spoke a voice from behind them. They both turned around to see who the voice belonged to. Professor McGonagall was walking towards them with a very somber and serious demeanor on her face. "Professor Dumbledore has asked me to join in on the discussion."

James and Lily only nodded their heads in response. Neither wanted to talk about what had happened the previous night in Spinners End just yet, even though they were pretty sure that was going to be the topic in Dumbledore's office in the space of just a few minutes. Professor McGonagall repeated the password and the gargoyle started to turn, revealing the staircase.

As they stepped into Dumbledore's office, James noticed the Headmaster standing over that basin he had seen many times before, but never bothered to ask about. Dumbledore turned around to face the three of them. His face showed an overwhelming amount of concern. "Please, take a seat," he indicated to James and Lily. They obeyed without a word, and each took a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore sat down in his own chair, and McGonagall stood next to him.

"I am more than certain that you both know why I have asked you to come here this morning," the old wizard started. "This mass killing of Muggles has caused a great stir of concern and, needless to say, fear among the parents of our Muggleborn students, and the students themselves." His bright blue eyes landed on Lily, who was avoiding making eye contact with him. "Miss Evans, would you please look at me?" She did as she was told. "Thank you. I can only imagine and understand how upset you must be feeling right now. However, part of the reason I wanted you to come here was to inform you, that the Ministry has contacted your parents, and they have accepted to have magical protection set up around their house. They did try to contact your sister, Petunia, and her husband but they refused to let them in."

Lily nodded. It was no surprise to her that her sister had refused Ministry protection. After all, she had practically disowned Lily as her sister the day she had received her Hogwarts letter. Of course, she felt relieved that her parents were protected and safe. But that didn't change what had happened and what was more than likely to continue. It provide any justice at all. Before she even noticed it, she found herself saying, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Her voice was filled with venom and she glared at Dumbledore. "It doesn't change anything!"

"Lily…" James stared at her and reached for her hand. "It's okay. They're safe."

Lily jerked her hand out of his and stood up with such force that she almost knocked over her chair. "NO IT'S NOT OKAY!" She burst out. Her voice was filled with anger and sorrow and hot tears were streaming down her face. McGonagall, who had been quite taken aback by Lily's sudden temper tried to interrupt her, "Miss Eva-"

But Lily didn't listen. "NO! Voldemort is still out there killing innocent people! And what is the Ministry doing about it? What are YOU doing about it?!" She stared violently at Dumbledore. "NOTHING! I'm a Muggleborn! How do you think witches and wizards like me feel having to read this kind of stuff in the _Prophet _and knowing that there is nothing the Ministry or anyone else can do to protect our families?!"

Dumbledore sat their calmly and held up his hand, indicating Lily needed to stop yelling. "Miss Evans, I know you are frustrated and upset. However if you would kindly sit down and listen, you and Mr. Potter would find out the other reason why I have asked you here today and that I do intend to do something about this."

Lily took a moment to catch her breath before she sat down. Next to her, James looked dumbfounded. In all the years he had known Lily and that she had yelled at him, he had never seen her so worked up. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and let her cry out all her frustrations. She didn't deserve nor need to be this upset. He turned his attention back to the Headmaster when he heard him speak.

"Very well. As you both may know, I have never fully agreed with the Ministry and some of its policies. I have asked you to come here to ask for your help and assistance. What I am about to reveal to you is confidential and must never leave this room. I have created a secret organization whose sole purpose is to track down Voldemort and his followers and stop their efforts. It is called The Order of the Phoenix. Seeing as you two are of age, I am extending an offer for you to join. Sadly, there is not very much you can do here at Hogwarts except for doing some extensive research within our library. However, over Christmas Holiday, you are more than welcome to come to our Headquarters and assist us, should we need it. And I fear that we more than likely will need it."

Both James and Lily sat there in silence. James was thrilled and honored to be considered for Dumbledore's secret society. Of course, he was already partaking in his own secret society, the Marauders. But this was for a real cause; fighting to do what other witches and wizards wanted to, but feared to do. He looked over to Lily who was already looking at him. He gave her a deep nod, indicating that he intended to join. She nodded back.

"We'll do it." James spoke. "Just a couple questions, sir. Why us? And why not Sirius, Remus and Peter too? I'm sure they would be more than willing to help out as well."

"Very good questions, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore answered. "The reason I have chosen you two is because you both have shown to me over the years capabilities that I have not seen in witches or wizards as young as you. And I trust you both. The two of you show more conviction to defeat Lord Voldemort than the entire Ministry." He paused for a moment. "Now, concerning your friends. Mr. Black is in more of a compromising situation with his family as you well know. I plan on approaching him with the offer within the next week, but I want to give him time to think about it."

James shook his head. "Sirius won't need to think about it. Trust me. He'll want in just as much as we do."

Dumbledore continued as if James hadn't spoken up. "I wish to give the other two time to think about it as well. Joining this society is not safe. There is great danger involved and all who join are putting their lives at risk to save others from Lord Voldemort's actions."

Lily spoke up immediately. "We understand. We want in, no questions asked." Her green eyes shone with an even newer conviction to bring down Voldemort.

* * *

So that's it for now. =] I will try to write more and will make more of an effort to do so since I am FINALLY on summer break until August 24th. That should give me plenty of time to write more of LNS.

I would really appreciate some feedback! Hopefully some of my old readers are still around to tell me what they think, but of course I am more than happy to gain new readers!

Thanks!  
-Devree


	10. Chapter 10 It's raining, it's pouring

**Disclaimer- JK Rowling is too rich to be writing on FF. Therefore I am not her. All made-ups are MINE.**

**For the record, I DID try to post this earlier I was not successful because FF decided to be retarded. I get an A for effort. :]**

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**Chapter Ten**

Later that evening, Lily sat on her bed with Cami and Cynthia sitting there with her. Omitting the information about the Order of the Phoenix, Lily had shared everything that had happened from her date with James to going to Dumbledore's office. She sat cross legged with her hands on her feet and looked from Cynthia to Cami, waiting for one of them to say something.

"Wow…" Cami finally broke the lingering silence. "I don't know what to say really… I really want to talk about your date more, but it just doesn't seem appropriate right now, you know? With what happened this morning and all…" She shrugged her shoulders. She started to twirl a strand of her dark chestnut colored hair between her fingers and looked at Lily.

Cynthia let out an exasperated sigh. "Exactly. It feels like we're not supposed to be happy for you, but it does sounds like it was date from heaven."

Lily rolled her eyes and groaned. She reached behind her, grabbed and pillow and forced it on top of her face so she could let out a frustrated scream. She desperately wanted to tell her best friends about the Order, but Dumbledore had trusted her and James completely with that confidential information. But she completely agreed with her friends. She removed the pillow from her face and put it in her lap. "I know… I'm starting to get thoughts in my head that maybe I'm being punished for being happy, and that maybe I shouldn't let things with James continue…" She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right arm. Cami had reached over and punched her and had a furious look on her face. "Ow! What was that for?!" Lily demanded.

"Don't you dare let me catch you saying something like that again," Cami warned with the most serious tone Lily or Cynthia had ever heard her use. Lily stared at Cami resentfully as she rubbed her arm. "Even thinking that is giving into You-Know-Who's will. He wants the world to fear him, Lils! Don't deny yourself happiness just because the world sucks. Love is really the only thing we have to live for anymore…" Cami's dark brown eyes showed a vulnerability that was foreign to her two friends.

"Cami…" Cynthia started off hesitantly after exchanging an awkward glance with Lily. "What's going on? We've never seen you act like this before." Sure, Cami Greene was known to have a temper, but it was usually stemmed from her overreacting to silly things. Yet this time, she looked so upset and angry that she was close to tears.

"I…I don't want to talk about it." Cami shook her head and looked at Lily, expecting a reply to what she had previously said (and wanting to turn the subject away from herself). This wasn't the time. They would have to find out later.

Detecting her friend's expectation, Lily sighed. "I guess you're right. I just…I'm scared. What I'm starting to feel about James is something I've never felt before. And with everything going on with Voldemort…" The pain in her arm was starting to go away, but it still throbbed a little. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she continued. "If Voldemort is after my family, it's only a matter of time until he comes after me himself and maybe even James."

Cynthia and Cami looked at each other and silently confirmed with one another what Lily didn't know herself. Lily Evans was in love with James Potter.

* * *

Later that evening, Lily lay on her bed alone. It was stormy outside and the rain the wind beat against her window relentlessly. She had turned out all the lights in her chamber save for a few candles on her vanity. She wanted to watch the lightning crack and dance across the black sky outside her window. The sound of the pouring rain brought peace to her troubled heart, but only a little bit. A knock on the door reached her ears. Knowing it could only be James, she said, "Come in."

James walked into Lily's room, finding her curled up on her bed, almost in the fetal position. "Lily?" He walked towards her bed, being as tentative as he could be. He was very aware that Lily was in a very vulnerable and upset place right now and the last thing he wanted was to upset her more.

"Yeah?" Lily responded without looking at him. Her eyes were still fixated on the lightning. She found herself feeling a small glint of gratitude that James had come to see her, for whatever reason it was.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" James asked her wholeheartedly. Even though she wasn't facing him, Lily raised her eyebrows and considered his question. She didn't really know what he could do, but she did not want him to leave.

"Could you stay with me tonight?" She asked, finally turning her head to look at James. Her green eyes begged for him to stay and just hold her. James nodded and lay down next to her on his side and wrapped his arms around her slender form.

"Yeah?" James replied as he drew comforting lines up and down her arm.

"I'm scared…" Lily confessed after she turned around in James' arms to look at him again.

Empathy and love filled James' heart and he kissed her forehead. "I know Lils…I am too." Despite how much he hated for Lily to cry, James allowed her to cry out all her frustrations out into his chest. After she was done, they both drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

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**HOKAY. I am rather fond of the last scene. I wanted it to be simple and sweet and I believe I accomplished it. For those who are wondering why I'm not putting in a lot of physical stuff in (yet), it is because I want to give Lily and James to build their relationship. I am a strong believer that a couple can be intimate without being physically intimate. And since Lily and James are one of the greatest love stories ever, I want to be careful with how this relationship builds. Yes I am attempting to write it, but honestly I don't know what's going to happen until I write it down. haha. **

**Furthermore, I know I'm being slow with updates but please be patient. I am taking a heavy course load this year which includes Calculus so I am swamped with homework. I update when I can. 3 **

**Please Read and Review!  
Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11 (part one) Notes and Trinkets

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters that you recognize. Any made ups are mine. **

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Two weeks had passed without any whisper of any more killings, but that didn't mean that Voldemort wasn't on the move. James and Lily both had written their parents, informing them that they would be staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas holiday. On the contrary, they were going to be going to the headquarters for the Order, and did not want their parents to be concerned. After all, they had sworn to Dumbledore that they would not tell anyone about the Order.

A breath of chill swept in on the grounds and settled in, letting the occupants of the castle know that autumn was here to stay. The first visit of the year to Hogsmeade was the next day and Lily was still debating whether or not she should go. Cami and Cynthia had provided their friend with enough chocolate and girl's nights the last couple weeks to cheer any girl up, but Lily still was not entirely sure if she felt safe venturing from the grounds.

Lily sat in Charms class next to James, taking notes on Flitwick's lecture on conjuring spells. She was bent over her parchment and quill when she noticed that James was pushing a small torn piece of parchment with writing scribbled on towards her. After making sure Flitwick did not notice this passing, she place her middle finger on it and slid it over her notes and read it. _Are you planning on going to Hogsmeade tomorrow? _She smirked a bit. She considered that if James was asking her if she was, that meant they were going on a date. However, she didn't want to be presumptuous. Lily quickly scribbled back. _Haven't decided yet. Why do you want to know?_ She double checked that Flitwick had his back to the class and slid the note back to James.

James was not so cautious as Lily was when it came to note passing. Besides, even if they got caught, it was not as if they were sharing anything that would get them in trouble. He glanced at Lily who was back to taking notes. He thought she was so adorable as she bit her lip while trying to make sense of what was being said, but then raised her eyebrows and nodding to herself when the answer came to her silently. James admired how effortlessly Charms came to Lily, while he struggled. The previous week, Lily had suggested they sit together in class and she would help him with his Charm work if he helped her in Transfiguration.

_I was wondering if you wanted to go to The Three Broomsticks with me. _He slid it back over without any trepidation and was glad to see that Lily smiled when she saw his response. She scribbled her answer promptly and gave him the parchment.

_Love to._

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For the first time since the attack near Spinner's End, Lily felt excited. Apprehension still flooded her but she just reminded herself that she was going to be with James. They might not have been an "official" couple yet, but she was certain that he cared for her a lot and would protect her if anything should happen. Lily dressed herself quickly in jeans, her favorite overly large cable-knit grey sweater that reached down to her mid-thighs and slid her brown knee-high boots on over her jeans. Her hair was tied up messily and a few dark copper tresses had escaped, falling ever so elegantly into her almond shaped green eyes.

She agreed with James to meet him at noon in the pub. This way she could walk with Cami and Cynthia to Hogsmeade. Fifteen minutes later, they were walking out of the courtyard and across the crisp grounds together. "Are you going to meet up with us after you see James?" Cami questioned as she buttoned up her coat.

"I suppose so. He didn't say anything about doing something afterwards." James and Lily had agreed to take things slow. They both recognized that they had something special starting and did not see any cause to rush things. "Do you guys mind stopping by that little jewelry store before going to The Three Broomsticks? I want to see if they still have that necklace I like."

"Sure," her friends agreed. They were aware that Lily's one material weakness was jewelry. Even though she couldn't afford the majority of things she liked, she still enjoyed admiring them and daydream that one day she could own just even one. Once they arrived, they pushed the door open and the small tinkle of a bell announced their arrival, and an elderly man walked out from the back.

"Ah, Miss Evans. So nice to see you again!" The old man greeted her, his white hair combed neatly back, and blue eyes sparkling in the light coming from the chandelier hanging above. "How may I help you today?"

Lily smiled slightly. They always had beautiful things inside, but the one particular item she had her eye on was a white gold chain with a tiny white rose bud pendant on it. "Hi Mr. Shane. I'm just looking…but I was wondering if I could see that rose necklace in the front display. I really like it, and I wanted to see it one more time before someone buys it."

"Of course! Let me go get it for you." As Mr. Shane went to the front window to fetch the pendant, Lily turned to look at the other displays. There were many items that would catch any girl's eye. Rings that had intricate designs set with diamonds, emeralds or rubies and delicate pearl earrings. "Here we go," Mr. Shane had returned with the necklace. "This one is a favorite of mine too. The petals are made with pearl and the leaves and chain are made with white gold. A very fine piece indeed, and priced at twenty galleons. You have fine taste, Miss Evans."

"Wow." Lily sighed as Mr. Shane handed her the gem to admire. Lily handled it very delicately with her slender fingers. "It's so beautiful. Would it be ok if I tried it on?"

"Certainly," Mr. Shane answered with a sincere smile. "Let me get a mirror real quick while you put it on."

"Thank you, Mr. Shane." Lily opened the clasp and refastened it behind her neck. Mr. Shane placed a small mirror on the counter and Lily stepped closer to look. "I really wish I could have it, but whoever does is going to be really lucky."

"It does look beautiful on you Lils," Cynthia smiled.

"Hey, it's almost noon," Cami said, looking at the clock on the wall. "You better hurry so you're not late!"

"Oh, okay," Lily replied as she took the necklace off and returned it to the shopkeeper. "I'll see you next time, Mr. Shane. Thank you, again." With that, the three friends disappeared out of the shop.

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**A/N- Wow. So ya, it's been a while. Four years to be exact. I got married, got a dog and got busy with life. But I want to start writing again. I have been refreshing my memory of this particular story and just like magic, ideas were popping up. I borrowed a bit from another story I was writing because I think it will fit better with this one. I am going to try and update once a week, but I make no promises. But I do promise to update more often than every four years. :P**

**This particular chapter is going to be in two parts. Mainly because I started writing this at 11:45pm and it is now…. 1:38am. I needs to get my sleeps on. **

**Please review! I know I'm a little rusty!**

**-Devs**


	12. Chapter 11 (part two) Stomach Flu

**Chapter Eleven (part two)**

The Three Broomsticks was filled with students and the local villagers. Lily sat at a booth with her cheek resting on her palm, patiently waiting for James. She was very much enjoying the time James and her were spending together. They had started walking to the classes they shared together and after they were done with their homework they would stay up late in their common room just talking and exchanging stories.

Lily heard the door open and looked up and saw James coming in. He wore a dark red jumper with his favorite blue jeans and trainers. She smiled and waved him over. He walked over to her with long strides As he sat down next to her, he planted a kiss on her cheek that made her skin tingle. "Sorry I'm late. Sirius wanted to show me something at Zonko's."

"Oh it's no problem. I got here only five minutes ago," she answered.

"So I have some news," James started. "I ran into McGonagall on my way here and she said that Dumbledore wants us to plan a ball for Halloween. He seems to think it will boost morale at the school with everything that is going on."

"A ball?" Lily wasn't so sure if she liked the idea of planning a ball, but Dumbledore was probably right. "That could be fun…I guess."

James let out a small laugh and smirked. "You guess? I thought all girls loved to go to balls."

"Well most girls don't have two left feet like I do." Lily blushed as she admitted this fault of hers.

"I can teach you," James offered. "My mom made me dance with her over the Summer holidays whenever she was bored."

"Really?" Lily grinned as she tried to picture Mrs. Potter and James dancing. "I never would have pictured you as the dancing type, but that would be amazing if you could give me a few lessons." She gave him a warm smile.

"So…" James began with anxiety as he scratched the back of his head. "I was wondering if you would want to go with me?"

The smile on Lily's face grew into a grin. When James brought up the ball, she kind of assumed they would be going together since they had started dating and were Head Boy and Girl. "James, I would love to!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms found their way around her small frame.

After a moment, they realized their surroundings and let go of each other. They then ordered themselves a couple of butterbeers. While sipping her drink, Lily spoke her thoughts aloud to James. "What kind of _romantic_ theme should we go with for the ball?" As she put down her butterbeer, she took a sidelong glance at James to see if he noticed the emphasis.

Winking at Lily, James responded with a chuckle, "I don't know if I am the right person to ask. I'm not very creative when it comes to things like that. What do you think we should do?"

"Well since it's going to be on Halloween," Lily began, "I was thinking it would be fun to do a masquerade. That way it has the feeling of being a costume party while still being formal."

James pondered her suggestion and nodded. "I think it's brilliant!"

Just then, the remaining Marauders, Cami and Cynthia walked into the bar. They made their way over to the table. "Hey guys," Cynthia started. "I know you're on a date but the wind picked up outside and it's too cold to stay out there. Mind if we join you?"

"Oh, no problem," Lily answered. James moved closer to Lily to make room for the lack of more seating. Lily then turned to James and asked, "Well should we tell them?"

"You guys are finally official?" Sirius jested.

Lily's cheeks turned bright red. Although they had agreed to take things slow, Lily couldn't deny that she really wanted to be James' girlfriend. Meanwhile, James glared at Sirius and shook his head. Even though Sirius was his best mate, James honestly thought that he lacked tact some of the time. Before any more embarrassment could happen, James announced, "Dumbledore has asked us to plan a ball on Halloween."

"It's about time we had something fun to look forward to," Cami with a grin.

"That's why Dumbledore wants us to plan it," Lily nodded. "He thinks it will be a good boost of morale. Things have been kind of depressing around the castle lately." She couldn't help but notice that Cami had shot Sirius a rather quick sideways glance while sipping on her own butterbeer. Sirius, however had not seemed to notice this in the slightest.

Lily had known for a while that Cami had taken a fancy to Sirius, although she had never admitted to it. Cami was one who tried to give the impression that she did not need a man in her life. Despite her best efforts, it was quite plain and obvious to Lily. Then an idea struck her that she thought would help push things along with Cami and Sirius. "You know, we should all go as a group to the ball. The more the merrier, right? Besides, we spend a lot of time together anyways. Why not spend the biggest night of our seventh year together?"

Cynthia's eyes lit up at this suggestion, "That's a brilliant idea, Lily! It would be so much more fun!" The others chimed in their agreement.

* * *

An hour later, their group was walking back to the castle together, chatting excitedly about the ball. James and Lily held each other's hands. James loved the way their hands fit together so perfectly. He brought their interlaced hands up between them and kissed her fingertips. "When should we have our first dancing lesson?" He asked quietly.

"Tomorrow night works for me. After dinner?" Lily suggested with a coy smile on her lips. Their hands fell back to their previous place.

"Sounds like we have another date ahead of us, Miss Evans," James chuckled.

Out of the blue, Lily felt an odd sensation in her stomach and it was definitely not a pleasant feeling. Her face twisted into a grimace and she placed a hand on her stomach. It was as if there were a hundred Cornish pixies flying around inside, all the while trying to get out. James caught notice of this and voiced his concern. "Lily are you alright?"

The others turned towards Lily with alarm on their faces. "Did you eat something bad?" Remus asked.

"I don't know…I just suddenly feel really sick to my stomach." Lily covered her mouth as her stomach lurched. Luckily, nothing came out. "I need to get back to the castle."

Before Lily could resist or protest, James picked her up in his strong arms. "I'll see you guys back up at the castle." He then proceeded to carry her princess-style up the path. Lily really didn't mind James carrying her; She rested her head on his shoulder, tried to steady her breath and focused on not throwing up.

They were approaching the castle, and Lily never felt so relieved to see the large two front doors. "I'm sorry about ruining our date…" She whispered. "I hope it's nothing serious."

"Do you want to go to the hospital wing?" James tried to remain composed, however, on the inside he was growing very concerned.

"No, I think it's just best if I get to bed," Lily managed to reply with a wince. Her stomach felt like it was her mum's washing machine on the spin cycle. "I was sick like this a few summers ago and what really helped was just getting a lot of rest."

"I don't know Lily," James started to protest. "Madam Pomfrey can have you feeling better in a heartbeat if you just go see her."

"I suppose you're right," Lily agreed, although she really didn't want to go to the hospital wing. She felt like that was only necessary if it was a life or death situation.

Five minutes later, they had arrived at the hospital wing. James put Lily gently down on one of the beds. Madam Pomfrey hustled over to the two of them. "Miss Evans, what ailment brings you here?" At that moment, Lily grabbed a clean bedpan and threw up the contents of her stomach into it. James rubbed her back, trying to ignore the foul smell. "Ah," Madam Pomfrey acknowledged knowingly. She waved her wand, and the contents of the bedpan vanished. "There's been some of that going around. It's nothing to be worried about, just a little stomach bug. I'll just get you a Soothing Potion real quick…and some water."

Lily was embarrassed that she had gotten sick in front of James. It was definitely not a side of herself that she wanted him to see. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She wiped her mouth off and lay down on the bed. Her stomach was starting to feel a little better.

"It's alright, Lils," James said as she sat down on the bed next her. He reached up to her face and brushed a strand of her hair away. "At least she has something that will help you feel better."

As if on cue, Madam Pomfrey had made her way back to them and placed a goblet on the bedside table. "This should soothe your stomach and get rid of whatever is bothering your stomach." She opened a simple green bottle and poured a pale yellow liquid into the goblet. "Sit up dearie," she ordered, " The sooner you get this down, the sooner you'll feel better." Lily did as she was told and took the goblet offered to her. She drank it quickly, afraid it would taste awful. To her surprise it wasn't horrible, but a little spicy.

Instantly, her stomach settled down and she felt as good as she did an hour ago. "That was fast…" She voiced out loud. "Good as new!"

James smiled out of relief, and Madam Pomfrey nodded her approval. "You're free to go. Make sure you drink plenty of water tonight. You may feel a little dizzy for a couple hours so it's important to stay hydrated and get lots of rest."

* * *

**A/n- *Wipes brow* Phew. I don't know why but after I wrote the last chapter, I hit a major writer's block and could not think of ANYTHING for this chapter. Finally I was able to come up with…this. I'm not terribly proud of it, but I know I appreciated it when my husband took care of me when I was sick when we were dating. So maybe I was feeling nostalgic. Too bad I didn't have Madam Pomfrey at my disposal back then. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! I would love to hear your input!**

**-Devs**


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